The art of collecting and appreciation for the little things is alive and well at Buyers Paradise, which is housed behind faded bricks along 8th Avenue between 15th and 16th streets in Greeley.

Its name captures what you would expect to find. Unlike a classic thrift shop, you are transported through thoroughly chosen and thought out treasure troves of stuff arranged in every theme or category you can think of in cabinets and on shelves.

Commemorative items for every destination and occasion — in the form of pins, buttons, posters, watches, toys and keychains — have faded out of the norm of advertising. Those small collectible trinkets are disappearing and are seldom made anymore.

"Collecting is addictive, it gets into your blood and is hard to stop," said Trish Rocha, owner of Buyers Paradise. Rocha opened up her shop just for fun as a hobby to pass the time for a year or two, unaware that her passion for collecting would keep her open for 15 years.

As a collector herself, Rocha has strictly limited herself to collecting only three things — pins, black vases and miniature donkeys.

Rocha searches through stuff some people discard and see as junk to add to her store's inventory. When buying for the collection, she tries to find stuff she grew up with to bring back memories of childhood.

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Walking through the aisles of Collectables, browsers stumble through Western memorabilia, clusters of Hot Wheels and a couple of shelves displaying everything unicorn-themed.

Whatever your interest is, chances are there's something to add to a collection.